Method and apparatus for including article identification in an article handling device

ABSTRACT

Abstract of Disclosure 
     The above objects are achieved in an illustrated embodiment of an article dispensing apparatus embodied, for example, as a vending machine, including a controllably positioned suction hose dispenser for retrieving articles from a storage area.  In one embodiment, the article dispenser comprises a storage area for storing articles along at least one longitudinal axis in a stack, an article dispensing device for moving the end article from the stack of articles in the storage area along a path to a retrieval area, and an article identification device, mounted within the article retrieving apparatus.  The article dispensing device moves the article in a predetermined pattern past the article identification device, so as to provide identification of the article being moved.

Background of Invention

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to improvements in thedesign and operation of an article handling apparatus used inconjunction with an article identification device, and is particularlyuseful in the environment of an article handling device as used avending machine.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Most prior art article handling mechanisms, more specificallyreferred to in the description of the present invention as being in theenvironment of a point-of-sale (POS) article dispenser, rely on amultitude of motors, switches and solenoids for moving various portionsof the handling mechanism, and handling of the articles themselves, suchas packaged products. Most such machines require one motor, switchand/or solenoid dedicated for each row, column or type of article orpackage to be handled or dispensed therefrom. Such machines generallysuffer from numerous disadvantages, such as poor reliability due tomechanical failures, as well known by those skilled in this art.

[0005] US Patent 5,240,139 represents a significant improvement inarticle handling devices. It describes the use of a negative airpressure lifter (i.e., article pickup or handling mechanism), which usessuction, i.e., a reduced or so-called "negative"air pressure created bya partial vacuum, for making a secure contact to an article to beretrieved by entering the open top of an article storage bin located ina refrigerated storage area of a vending machine. Although robotic, andspecifically suction-type lifting mechanisms are in common use infactory settings, where space limitations are generally relaxed, theiruse in tight confines, such as an article vending machine, has notgained wide acceptance. Due to the greater reliability and versatilityof vending machines of the type which utilizes suction technology forgrasping and moving selected articles, it would be desirable to developnew techniques and methods for the operation and control of suchmachines, as well as for other more generalized article handlingmechanisms. It is noted that article identification in conjunction withan article handling is not provided for in this US Patent.

[0006] U.S. patent 5,272,321 entitled AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE HAVING ABAR CODE READER AND BAR-CODED COLUMNS AND SWITCHES assigned to SanyoElectric Co., describes a vending apparatus for handling articles forwhich preprinted barcodes have been applied. During a service modeoperation of the machine (e.g. during refilling) a handheld bar codereader is used to scan a preprinted sheet of bar codes which is locatedon the inside of the front door of the vending machine. The sheetincludes barcodes for programming the CPU of the machine with theidentification of the articles stored in the machine, identification ofthe storage columns in which those articles have been loaded, andidentification of which user selection switches have been designated foractivating dispensing of a given article from a given column. Althoughthe technique disclosed in this patent facilitates rapid and accurateprogramming of the vending machine during servicing, it can not preventdispensing of an incorrect product due to erroneous loading of theproduct into the machine, e.g., such as due to either inadvertently orpurposefully loading an incorrect product into an incorrect storagecolumn.

[0007] JP 4123192A2 entitled DEVICE FOR PREVENTING ERRONEOUS THROW-IN OFCOMMODITY OF VENDING MACHINE assigned to Sanyo Electric Co., disclosesthe use of a bar code reader at the top, input end, of each articlestorage column in a vending machine. During refilling of the machinewith articles, if the bar code reader at the top of each article storagecolumn reads a product code that is not preprogrammed to be stored inthat column, the vending machine controller operates a gate which willprevent that article from further entrance into the article storagecolumn. In this way, erroneous refilling of the article storage columnsis prevented. However, it would be possible to relatively easily "trick"or cheat a vending machine of this type by, for example, disabling thebar code scanner at the input end of each storage column, or by holdinga false bar code in front of the reader during refilling of that columnwith a different, maybe erroneous and possibly inferior, product.

[0008] JP4123194A2 entitled ERRONEOUS SALE PREVENTING DEVICE FOR VENDINGMACHINE, also assigned to Sanyo Electric Co., includes a handheld barcode scanner and programming sheet of bar codes for programming thecontroller of the vending machine during a set up mode (a techniquesimilar that noted above in U.S. patent 5,272,321), as well as afixed-position bar code scanner located just above the product exitchute of the vending machine, for reading the product identification barcode during dispensing. In the event that the identification of thearticle dispensed from a given storage column, does not match the barcode stored in the vending machine controller for the product whichshould have been dispensed from that storage column, the vending machinecontroller operates to suspend dispensing of products from that storagecolumn. By including a bar code reader at the product exit chute of thedispenser, it is significantly more difficult to "trick" or cheat themachine by purposefully restocking the machine with erroneous andpossibly inferior product. United States patent 6,068,156 assigned toAdds, Inc and entitled METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A DRUG DISPENSING SYSTEM,also describes use of a bar code scanner positioned at the exit chute ofan article dispenser. In this case the article dispenser dispensesmedication vials. However, in this and the above noted JP4123194A2patent, it would not be uncommon for the fixed position bar code scannerto fail to read and identify the bar codes on the articles as they rollor tumble in a haphazard manner past the bar code scanner at the exitchute.

[0009] U.S. patent 5,390,711 by Murphey entitled METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR MAKING SNOW CONES, discloses a vending machine of the type forstoring articles in article storage columns. In one embodiment thecolumns are vertically oriented and dispense paper cups, which include aunique sequence of bar codes preprinted thereon, to a customer retrievalarea where the paper cups are filled with flavored crushed ice. In analternative embodiment, the article storage columns are substantiallyhorizontal and the dispensing apparatus substantially comprises a spiralwire (i.e., a conventional "spiral" vending machine). In bothembodiments a fixed position bar code reader is located at thedispensing end of each article storage column, for identifying thearticle which is about to be dispensed. In the event that the bar codeof the article which is about to be dispensed is not proper or not read,the dispensing operation is automatically suspended, any money insertedinto the machine is returned, and the customer is notified that themachine is now inoperative or sold out. In the event that the operatorof the vending machine tries to "trick" or cheat the machine bytampering with the bar code reader or its activation, a voltageoversurge is provided to the control circuitry of the vending machine,which effectively destroys the control circuitry and renders the machineinoperative. In a manner somewhat similar to the above notedJP4123194A2, the fixed position bar code reader may have difficultyreading the article barcodes, especially if the article is improperlypositioned in the storage column, such as the package being rotationallyoffset by 90, 180 or 270 degrees.

[0010] U.S. patent 5,713,487 by Coughlin, entitled MEDICAMENTVERIFICATION IN AN AUTOMATIC DISPENSING SYSTEM, is representative of aclass of patents directed to preventing the dispensing of erroneousproducts (such as medication vials or video cassettes), due to improperloading of the storage area. These patents show the use of a bar codereader mounted on a computer controlled manipulator arm used forretrieving the articles from the storage area. Each stored article, orits packaging, includes a preprinted identifying bar code. When themachine controller moves the manipulator arm so as to retrieve a storedproduct, the bar code reader is operated so as to scan the bar code onthe article, and if the bar code does not match the bar code of thearticle which is expected to be at that storage location (in accordancewith preprogramming of the machine controller), the dispensing operationis suspended and the user of the machine is notified of a problem. If,however, the bar code is proper, the article is dispensed. It is alsoknown that when the machine is not vending articles, the controller canoperate the manipulator arm in a "checking" mode, wherein the bar codeon an article storage at each location in the storage area is scannedand then checked (compared) with the article identification code storedin the memory of the controller. Improperly stored articles are thuspre-identified, and will not be dispensed. One disadvantage of thesetypes of systems is that the bar code reader and electrical connectionssuffer stress due to the many cycles of manipulator arm movement, sincethe bar code reader is mounted on the manipulator arm. Furthermore, thiskind of positioning for the bar code reader can reduce the reliabilityof the bar code reading device, and also introduces mechanical andelectronic complexity in its construction, due to the necessity ofproviding electrical connections to a movable bar code reader. Evenfurthermore, by positioning the bar code reader on the manipulator arm,restrictions are placed upon the "view" provided to the reader as themanipulator arm is advanced toward the article to be retrieved, leadingto an increase of the probability that the article bar code may not beproperly read.

[0011] For completeness sake, U.S. patent 6,029,851 assigned to ImagingTechnologies Ltd. and entitled APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSINGARTICLES is noted. This patent describes a dispenser for printer ortoner cartridges which includes an input port for receiving used tonercartridges into the dispenser, for recycling purposes. A camera mountedat a fixed location along the input past towards the recycling storagearea of the machine uses "shape/pattern recognition" to identify thereturned toner cartridges. This article identification technique suffersfrom the same problem as before noted patents, namely that the articlemay pass by the article identification device in a position where it'sshape/pattern can not be identified/recognized.

[0012] OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Accordingly, one of the general objects of the present inventionis to provide new techniques and methods for the design, operation andcontrol of article handling mechanisms.

[0014] It is a further general object of the present invention toprovide such techniques and methods for article handling mechanisms ofthe type that utilize computer-controlled electromechanical technology,and in the illustrated embodiment a robotically positioned suction-typegripper, for grasping and moving a selected article from one area toanother, such as from a storage area to a dispensing area.

[0015] It is an even further general object of the present invention toprovide new techniques and methods for such mechanisms which improve thespeed and accuracy of the article handling operation while stillhandling the articles to be dispensed in a careful manner so as toprevent any damage thereto.

[0016] It is a more specific object of the present invention to providea method and apparatus for article identification in an article handlingapparatus, which not only is relatively simple, accurate and reliable inits construction and operation, but which also has some flexibility inorder to help ensure identification and/or recognition of the articlesbeing dispensed.

Summary of Invention

[0017] The above objects are achieved in an illustrated embodiment of anarticle dispensing apparatus embodied, for example, as a vendingmachine, including a controllably positioned suction hose dispenser forretrieving articles from a storage area. In one embodiment, the articledispenser comprises a storage area for storing articles along at leastone longitudinal axis in a stack, an article dispensing device formoving the end article from the stack of articles in the storage areaalong a path to a retrieval area, and an article identification device,mounted within the article retrieving apparatus. The article dispensingdevice moves the article in a predetermined pattern past the articleidentification device, so as to provide identification of the articlebeing moved.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0018]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a vending machineconstructed and operating in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

[0019] FIG."s 2 and 3 are front perspective views of the vending machineof FIG. 1, with the front door opened, so as to illustrate the mainmechanical and electrical components therein.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating the cooperationof the main mechanical and electrical components in the vending machineof FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

[0021]FIG. 1 illustrates an environment for the invention describedherein, in the form of an article dispenser, such as a point-of-sale(POS) dispenser. Although throughout the following description,reference is made to implementation of the invention in a vendingmachine environment, it is intended that the term "vending machine", andin fact the environment for the present invention, include more generalpurpose article handling, retrieval and/or dispensing apparatus, as wellas POS equipment. Such equipment, if embodied as a portable device maycomprise and be about the size of a traditional vending machine or aslarge as a tractor-pulled trailer, and if embodied as a non-portabledevice may comprise and be embodied as an automated dispensing room oran area located in a permanent structure, such as in a building(aboveground or underground, and with or without interior walls or anenclosing cabinet). Furthermore, it is intended that the term"articles"or "products" include in at least some of the embodiments ofthe invention described herein, not `only goods, but also servicesand/or information, in either a permanent or temporal form.

[0022] Accordingly, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vendingmachine 10, comprising one embodiment for an apparatus which isconstructed and operates according to the present invention. Vendingmachine 10 includes a main cabinet 12 and a front door 14 mounted on ahinge 16 for providing access to the interior of the vending machine forservicing (refilling it with articles, maintenance, etc.). Note, in afurther vending machine embodiment, a service door or port could bepositioned anywhere on or as a part of cabinet 12. In FIG. 1, front door14 is shown in a closed position, forming an enclosure with main cabinet12, within which various components of vending machine 10 are housed, asexplained in more detail below.

[0023] Front door 14 includes a convex-shaped section 18 adjacent a flatsection 20; however, these particular shapes are not necessary to theinvention. The convex-shaped section 18 comprises a translucent plasticdisplay panel 18, which typically has brand name and/or logo graphicsdisplayed thereon, and may even include graphics which illustrate theindividual articles that are vendible by vending machine 10, as well asthe price and/or selection information for the articles. Panel 18 istypically back-light using fluorescent bulbs, not shown.

[0024] A customer retrieval area 22 is formed in the panel 18 on door 14so that articles stored therein can be discharged to a user of vendingmachine 10.

[0025] Various user interface components are mounted on flat section 20of door 14. A customer display 24 may be a conventional fluorescent orLED display panel for displaying various items of information to a userof machine 10, such as feedback to the user of the selection made, theamount tended, and if the product is sold out or being vended. Foraccepting payments, a bill acceptor slot 26 accepts paper money into aconventional bill acceptor mechanism (mounted inside machine 10 so as tohave its user interface portion extend through an aligned opening inflat section 20) for purchasing articles or for making change. A coininsertion slot 28 accepts coins into a conventional coin changer (alsomounted inside machine 10 so as to have its user interface portionextend through an aligned opening in flat section 20) for purchasingarticles or for making change. A coin return actuator 30 comprises aconventional push-button mechanism for activating a coin return portionof the coin changer mechanism which, upon actuation returns coinsinserted by the current user, to a coin return well 32. The coin returnportion of the coin changer mechanism also provides change to the coinreturn well 32 either in response to the purchasing of articles or formaking change for paper money or larger coins. A credit/debit card slot34 accepts a plastic credit/debit card inserted into a conventional cardreader mechanism (also mounted inside machine 10 so as to have its userinterface portion extend through an aligned opening in flat section 20)for allowing a user to pay for purchases via credit/debit cards. A doorlock mechanism 36 enables front door 14 to be secured so that it cannotbe opened without a key. For allowing user selections, display panel 18may include graphics, as noted above, which indicates the variousarticles vendible by the machine, as well as their associated price andunique selection number. Alternatively, flat section 20 could include agroup of graphic article displays and their associated price. Aconventional keypad push-button mechanism 38 is provided for enabling auser to select a desired article from vending machine 10. Alternatively,push-button mechanism 40 could include individual push buttons for eacharticle selection, as well as an associated price display; and evenfurthermore, a user operated touch screen could replace pushbuttonmechanism 40 and display 24. Although not shown in Figure 1, machine 10also includes a conventional telecommunications component that can beused for authenticating credit card purchases, as well as other usesrelating to machine control and reporting the inventory and operationalstatus of machine 10 to a remote location, as more fully described lateron. Although vending machine 10 is illustrated to include the abovedescribed user interface components, in a more minimal embodiment of theinvention, most, if not all, of these user interface components could beomitted, and the dispenser could in fact be controlled from a remotelocation, with or without a local payment system.

[0026]FIG. 2 is front perspective view of the vending machine of FIG. 1,with the front door open, so as to illustrate the main mechanical andelectrical components therein. FIG. 3 is a somewhat idealized version ofthe main components of the article handling mechanism portion of vendingmachine 10, and is useful for understanding its general operation. Note,some portions of vending machine 10 are shown in these figures cut awayin order to better illustrate the interior components.

[0027] Referring first to FIG 2, it is noted that the right portion ofthe front of cabinet 12 includes a vertically mounted support panel 202which is used for mounting most of the user interface components. Morespecifically, a hinged mounting bracket 204 is mounted on panel 202 andaligned with an opening in door 14 so that the user interfacecomponents, such as the selection button keypad 40, coin insertion slot30, bill acceptor slot 28, coin return 32, and customer display 24, areall accessible to the user from the front side of door 14. Mounted onthe interior of front door 14 are two fluorescent bulb light sourceswhich emit light for backlighting panel 18. The fluorescent bulb lightsources are behind protective covers 206 so as to provide security(vandal protection), which is desirable as a result of the openings inthe structure of door 14 which allow for insertion of the fluorescentbulbs. Also mounted on the interior of front door 14 is a ballast 208for the fluorescent bulbs, and a product delivery chute 210...Note, theproduct delivery chute 210 is unconventional in that it is extremelytall, and therefore serves as a security measure to prevent unauthorizedaccess into the machine by insertion of an arm or other graspingmechanism into the customer retrieval area 22 from outside the machine.In typical prior art vending machines, a swinging security door isusually found at the top of chute 210, which swings into in a vandalblocking position when the customer pushes in the swinging door at theentrance to the product retrieval area 8. In a further embodiment ofvending machine 10, such a swinging security door could be used inconjunction with product delivery chute 210, especially if chute 210 isnot as tall as the one illustrated in Figure 2 and also if the productretrieval area 22 is located higher up on machine 10. Mounted behindhinged mounting bracket 204 is a conventional bill acceptor mechanismfor causing paper money inserted into bill acceptor slot 28 to be drawninto vending machine 10, a conventional coin changer supplies coins tocoin return slot 34 and is located behind panel, a coin guide guidesinserted coins into the coin changer, and a conventional bill validatorascertains proper insertion of paper money into bill acceptor slot 28 .

[0028] A control board 212 comprises a printed circuit board on whichcircuitry is formed and to which integrated circuit chips are attached.Control board 212 includes a microprocessor that is electricallyconnected to various sensors, motors, the above described user interfaceelements, as well as other devices within vending machine 10, to controlthe operation of vending machine 10 as described more fully later on inconjunction with FIG.4. When reference is made in this description toperformance of specified functions by control board 212, it is to beunderstood that these functions are controlled by the microprocessor andthe associated circuitry formed on control board 212. A power supply 214is mounted on panel 202 and supplies power for the electrical componentsof vending machine 10.

[0029] Referring now also to FIG 3, it is apparent that the bulk of theinterior of cabinet 12 is available as an article storage area 215. Inthe illustrated embodiment, a plurality of vertically aligned articlestorage bins 216 are arranged on the interior floor 217 of cabinet 12,for storing articles 223 to be vended by machine 10. In a refrigeratedenvironment for the present invention the bins could be arranged to siton a shelf positioned above the refrigeration system.

[0030] An opened-top container 219 can be dimensioned to hold aplurality of article storage bins 216 therein, and used, for example tofacilitate the simultaneous handling (i.e., removal ,installation andtransportation) of the plurality of bins 216 into/out of the articlestorage area 215. Container 219 also facilitates rapid and accuratepositioning of a plurality of the article storage bins into the storagearea of the article handling apparatus. A carriage 218 (which may bemore generally referred to as an X-Y or planar positioning mechanism) iscoupled to the interior topside of cabinet 12 and adapted for beingcontrollably positioned by the control board portion 212 of machine 10,to a location centered over (so as to be aligned with) the open top-endof a selected one of article storage bins 216.

[0031] Although vertical (Z-axis) alignment of the article storage bins216 is shown, non-vertical, i.e., slanted or even horizontal (X or Yaxis) alignment may also be possible (such as found in the well knowglass front vending machines of the type using a "spiral wire"type ofdispensing apparatus). In the event of substantially horizontalalignment of the storage bins, the planar positioning mechanism will beappropriate changed so as to position carriage 218 for movement in theX/Z or Y/Z plane. In fact, a curvilinear plane, such as a cylinder, isalso considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Thecombination of substantially horizontally aligned stacks of productswith a robotically controlled article transport mechanism which moves ina vertical plane adjacent to dispensing ends of the stacks of products,is known, for example in US patent 6,230,930 issued May 15, 2001 andentitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VENDING PRODUCTS, and in US patentpublication US 2001/0000609 published May 3, 2001. Use of a curvilinearplane for article transport is known, for example in the videocassettevending art, wherein the videocassette's are stacked in an outwardlyfacing manner in a central storage carousel, and a robotic gripperencircles the carousel. Furthermore, although article storage bins 216are shown to be an ambient environment, bins 216 could in fact thepositioned in a refrigerated environment, such as a freezer located inthe bottom of storage area 217, and the article transport mechanismenter the bins from a top opening the freezer, such as shown anddescribed in the forenoted U.S. patent 5,240,139. Alternatively, in theevent the refrigerated environment is of the type including asubstantially horizontal alignment of the storage bins, a verticallyoriented opening could be used to provide access to the dispensing endof the article storage bins.

[0032] In the environment of the present invention, an air hose 220 iscontinuous from a point before it"s exit from a hose storage area 222over orthogonally positioned rollers 213, to its free end 221. Free end221 includes a weighted portion 225 in combination with a bellowsextension tip portion 227. Depending upon the physical characteristicsof the articles to be dispensed, article pickup head 224 may compriseonly the weighted portion 225, or this portion in combination with afitting specifically adapted to the type of packages to be dispensed,such as the bellows tip 227 or a compliant tip without a weight. Hose220 has one end coupled to a source of negative air pressure, i.e.,suction, which source of suction comprises in the preferred embodiment ablower motor 226, and a free end coupled to the article pickup head 224.In the present invention, the word continuous is intended to mean a hosewhich is connected and acts between it"s end points, in order toaccomplish the functions required by it, as a unitary/single hose. Anair hose portion 235 provides suction from blower motor 226 to one portof an air junction box 229, while continuous hose 220 is connected to asecond port of air junction box 229. Air junction box 229, included at atop portion of hose storage area 222, includes an airflow sensor andvacuum breaker assembly. The airflow sensor is used to develop a signalwhich is applied to the controller of the vending machine and isrepresentative of the airflow through air hose 220. The vacuum breakerassembly is used to quickly bring the air pressure in hose 220 to theambient pressure, thereby facilitating a "quick-release" of an articletransported by the article pickup head, into the dispensing chute 210.It is noted that a quick release of the products does not have to occurat the top of dispensing chute 210, and in the event that it isdesirable to avoid subjecting the article to forces which result fromjarring or dropping, the article pickup head could proceed to the bottomof the dispensing chute 210 before providing the quick release of thearticle. In one embodiment, the airflow sensor arrangement may comprisesa two-part switch, a first part includes a reed switch mounted on a topportion of box 229, and a second part includes a magnet mounted at thefree end of a swinging arm mounted inside box 229. As the arm swingsinside box 229 due to changes in airflow, the switch is "toggled",thereby indicating changes in airflow. The use of this airflow signalwill be described in greater detail later.

[0033] In the environment of the present invention, as shown generallyin FIG 3, , a novel hose positioning arrangement is provided foraligning carriage 218 with a selected one of bins 216. This alignment isaccomplished in the front/back (Y) direction using a front/back linearslide 228 (shown in a cut away view) mounted to an "L" shaped front/backbeam 230 so that carriage 218 can be controllably positioned therealongusing slide 228. A bottom edge portion of beam 230 includes a rackportion 232 and carriage 218 includes an electric motor 233 and gear(not shown) which engages rack portion 232. Application of forward andreverse motor control signals from control board 212 to motor 233 causescarriage 218 to be driven in the front/back directions. Alignment ofcarriage 218 in the left/right (X) direction is accomplished in asimilar manner, using a left/right linear slide 234 which slidablycouples the top side of front/back beam 230 to the underside of each ofspaced apart left/right beams 236a and 236b. Beams 236a and 236b arerigidly attached to the inside top portion of cabinet 12. A rack 238,also rigidly attached to the top inside portion of cabinet 12 and inparallel with beams 236, is engaged by a gear 240 driven by a reversiblemotor 243 mounted near the inside corner of beam 230. Application offorward and reverse motor control signals from control board 212 tomotor 243 causes a rotation of gear 240 and a corresponding movement ofbeam 230, and hence carriage 218, in the left/right (X) directions. Inan alternative embodiment the positioning mechanism portion comprisingbeams 236a and 236b could be embodied as a support bracket havingopposed flanged edges, and linear slides 234 could each comprise abracket fixed to beam 230 and including a set of orthogonally positionedrollers for engaging the orthogonal sides of a respective one of flangededges 239a or 239b.

[0034] Note that although carriage assembly 218 only moves in a singleplane, it is responsible for precisely positioning pickup head 224 ineach of the X, Y and Z directions. More specifically, as shown in FIG.s5 and 6, carriage 218 includes a roller arrangement 502 which comprisesthree orthogonally positioned rollers 504 at the point where hose 220enters carriage 218, for redirecting the movement of hose 220 from asubstantially horizontal direction along the top interior portion ofmachine 10 (i.e., in the X,Y direction), to a direction perpendicularthereto (i.e., in the Z direction). Movement of carriage 218 will notonly move the free end 221 of hose 220 so that it can be axially alignedwith a selected one of bins 216, but it will also automatically withdrawhose 220 from the hose storage area 222. Thereafter, a hose drivemechanism which may comprise a set of conventionally operated "pinchrollers"506 driven by a reversible motor 508 via gear set 510 (which inthe illustrated embodiment are mounted in carriage 218, but in a furtherembodiment motor 508/rollers 506 (or some other drive mechanism, such asan articulated arm, could be mounted so as to act somewhere else alongthe length of hose 220) is used for driving pickup head 224 into/out ofthe selected bin 216 in order to retrieve articles stored therein.

[0035] This arrangement, where hose 220 travels in the same X,Y planethat carriage 218 travels, facilitates a compact hose positioning anddrive mechanism embodiment for the present invention. Furthermore, sincemovement of the carriage is responsible for supplying most of the forceneeded to withdraw hose 220 from storage area 222,, the Z drive motor isonly needed to drive the hose for causing its free end to travelinto/out of bins 216 for article retrieval. It is noted that the pinchrollers 506 should comprise a soft rubber material so as to provide agood friction contact to hose 220, and if the hose 220 is corrugated,rollers 506 could have corresponding/matching corrugations. In theillustrated embodiment, it has been determined that two drive rollersare not needed, and accordingly only one of the pinch rollers is drivenby motor 508, while a spring (not shown) is used to urge the otherroller towards the driven roller, thereby pinching and driving hose 220therebetween.

[0036] A bin holder 260, shown in FIG. 2, comprising a pair ofrectangular brackets secured in a spaced manner to opposed interior sidewalls of cabinet 12, is used to maintain the bins situated therebetweenin a predetermined position relative to the interior of the vendingmachine cabinet. This is required in view of the pre-programming ofcontrol board 212 which controls the robotic structure for retrieving aselected article from one a selected one of bins 216.

[0037] Also shown in Figures 5 and 6, and in greater detail in FIG. 7,is a telescoping guide mechanism 550 for ensuring that when picker head224 is lowered by the drive mechanism in carriage 218 into the storagearea, it drops into the desired one of bins 216. For example, dependingupon the material used for constructing hose 220, it is possible thatduring long time periods when hose 220 is not repositioned, the 90° turnin the direction of the hose which takes place in carriage 218 can forma significant "kink"in hose 220. Thereafter, as hose 220 is lowered intoa selected bin 216, the kink may cause picker head 224 to swing as thehose kink moves past drive rollers 506. In order to prevent suchundesired swinging or movements of picker head 224, guide mechanism 550is provided and comprises a guide plate 552 affixed to the end of twosliding support bars 554. As shown more clearly in Figure7, support bars554 slide through holes in a plastic (PVC, i.e., poly vinyl chloride)block 556 secured to a wall portion of carriage 218. Plate 552 isconstructed so as to have a hole in the center thereof which isdimensioned to be slightly greater than the diameter of the body portionof picker head 224, yet less than the diameter of a shoulder portionthereof. Accordingly, in operation when picker head 224 is lowered intoa desired bin, support rods 554 allow support plate 552 to drop, due togravity, as the same speed as picker head 224 is lowered away fromcarriage 218. At a height above the top of bins 216, and as determinedby the length of support rods 554, plate 552 no longer moves away fromcarriage 218 and the hole in the center thereof merely provides guidancefor the remainder of the descent of picker head 224 into the selectedbin 216. As picker head 224 is retracted from the bin, after having apackage secured thereto due to the suction force created within hose220, picker head 224 eventually contacts guide plate 552 and then forthe remainder of its upward travel, retraction of hose 220 also providesfor retraction of guide plate 552.

[0038] As shown more clearly in FIG. 7, support rods 554 comprise rodshaving a threaded hole at each end, in which a machine screw can beinserted. At the top portion of rods 554 the head of the screw forms ashoulder portion that prevents rods 554 from falling completely throughthe holes in block 556, and at the bottom of rods 554 the screws secureplate 552 to the rods. As also shown in FIG. 14b, plate 552 includes aprotective grommet ?? about the hole therein, for preventing damage andreducing wear of hose 220 as it travels through plate 552. It is notedthat the height of grommet ?? is preferably greater than the spacingbetween adjacent turns of the spiral support structure of hose 220.Furthermore, it is noted that hose 220 is preferable constructed of astrong, flexible spiral portion functioning as the spine to form theshape of the hose, formed co-extensively with a flexible and air-tightplastic material which spans adjacent turns of the spiral portion.

[0039] As previously noted, since hose 220 is formed of a continuousmaterial from its connection to the source of suction at one end to thepickup head 224 at its other end, means are necessary for providing hosestorage and/or retraction during travel of the pickup head 224 in the X,Y and Z directions, as appropriate during the article dispensingoperations.

[0040] Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 3, placing an interior wall 246parallel and adjacent to an exterior wall 248 of cabinet 12 is used toform the hose storage area 222 there between. Hose storage area 222 hasa cross-sectional area which is slightly greater than thecross-sectional area of the hose loop formed therein. Walls 246 and 248are shown partially cut-away so as to illustrate a gravity feedself-retracting loop tensioner/ retraction mechanism 250 formed in hose220. Loop tensioner 250 is constrained for movement within hose storagearea 222, and made somewhat self-retracting by comprising a rollingweight 252 having a groove 253 along its periphery in order to provideconstant centering of the weight within hose storage area 222 and forproviding a constant "loop forming" tension on hose 220. Furthermore,centering of the grooved rolling weight 252 within hose storage area 222results in centering of hose 220, thereby preventing hose 220 fromrubbing with the walls of hose storage area 222 during X, Y and Zrepositioning of pickup head 224. In order to prevent binding of hose220, rolling weight 252 is dimensioned so as to be slightly larger thanthe diameter of hose 220 and the width dimension of hose storage area222 is dimensioned to be only slightly larger than the width dimensionof rolling weight 252. The specific amount of weight used for rollingweight 252 is a matter of design choice, and depends upon variousfactors, such as the weight of the articles to be moved, the strength ofthe motors used to drive the hose in the Z direction, etc. In a furtherembodiment, it may be desirable to couple weight 252 to a lower portionof cabinet 12 using a spring, for adding further tension to looptensioner 250.

[0041] It is also noted that this gravity-based retraction/ hose storagetechnique meets the storage requirements needed for both the X and Ymovements of carriage 218 (left/right and front/back), as well as forthe Z movement of pickup head 224. Of course this gravity-basedretraction/ hose storage technique would work equivalently well in anembodiment wherein the robotic hose positioning mechanism used a rotarytype device (R, θ), an articulated arm, telescoping or scissor system,or other technique. Furthermore, the illustrated gravity-basedretraction/ hose storage technique is not necessary for the presentinvention, and in fact a fully or partially motorized retractiontechnique could also be used. Furthermore, in other embodiments, it maybe desirable to place hose storage area at another location, such asparallel to the top or rear portion of cabinet 12.

[0042] In accordance with the principles of the present invention, andas shown more clearly in FIG."s 2 and 3, as an article 223 is moved bypickup head 224 along its way from a storage bin 216 to chute 210, it ispositioned past an article identification (ID) device 254 mounted withincabinet 12. A specific type of article ID device is not required for thepresent invention, and depending upon system constraints, such a devicemay comprise, for example, a bar code scanner or other opticalimage/pattern recognition system, or even a non-optical system, such asa radio frequency identification (RFID), or magnetic-based systemmounted within cabinet 12. for uniquely identifying and confirming thatthe article being dispensed is in fact the article that was selected.The construction operation of such article identification devices arewell known to those of ordinary skill in this technology, and thereforefurther description in this regard is not necessary.

[0043] In accordance with an inventive aspect of the present invention,article ID device 254 is mounted within cabinet 12 at a relatively fixedlocation, the mounting being such that some controlled movement in theorientation of article ID device 254 may be facilitated, in order tohelp ensure a good "view" of the article being transported, and a highconfidence of the transported articles being identified. One way toprovide such controlled movement for ID device 254 would be to mount iton a piezoelectric substrate, and control board 212 could provide avoltage to the substrate so as to shift the "view" of ID device 254. Itis noted that by using an appropriately positioned article ID device254, only a single article ID device 254 is needed. This is particularlyuseful for a robotic type dispenser, since the robotic apparatus cancontrollably position, and re-position if necessary, the article in thevicinity of the article ID device 254, thereby helping ensure a reliableID of the article.

[0044] Furthermore, although in Figure 3 product ID device 254 ismounted to an interior wall of cabinet 12, it is noted that FIG 6illustrates a further preferred location for mounting product ID device254, namely on the inside edge of hinged bracket 204, and just above thetop of bins 216.

[0045] Alternative embodiments for the robotic mechanism described aboveare contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, product ID device 254 could also be useful in dispensingapparatus using other types of robotic positioners, such as a rotarytype device (R, θ), an articulated arm, telescoping or scissor system,etc., as well as one which travels in a non-planar, such as curvilinear,direction.

[0046] Even furthermore, although only a single storage area 215, hose220 and carriage 218 are shown in the illustrated embodiment, theinvention described herein could also be used in a dispensingapparatus/article handler of the type having multiple storage areasand/or robotic article handling mechanisms, such as two roboticmechanisms (both positioned vertically or horizontally or mixed, and onevertically and one horizontally) each one serving a different storagearea. Furthermore, when multiple article handling mechanisms areprovided, each can be tailored for a particular operation. For example,one may have a relatively large diameter pickup head and use a highairflow/modest suction vacuum supply device, while the other may have arelatively small diameter pickup head and use a low airflow/high suctionvacuum supply.

[0047] In this regard, FIGURE 5 illustrates a multiple storage areaarrangement 500, where a single article handler of the type previouslynoted serves 3 adjacent storage areas. In one embodiment each area maybe for storing stacks of articles aligned in the same direction as inthe other areas. One storage area 502 may have an ambient environment,while the other storage areas may be cooled, e.g., one area 504 beingrefrigerated and one area 506 being frozen. This arrangement maytypically find use for dispensing in a compact, reliable and efficientvending structure: salty snacks (such as bags of potato chips) from theambient storage area, cooled drinks (such as soda) from the refrigeratedstorage area, and frozen snacks (such as ice cream) from the frozenstorage area. Furthermore, an arrangement of this type may beparticularly advantageous in that the frozen compartment can be used formaintaining the quality of the stored articles until they are close tobeing needed for dispensing, as determined by an intelligent controller.At a predetermined appropriate time before dispensing, a certain amountof articles can be moved from the frozen area to the refrigerated area.This technique also finds particular advantage in the event that thethird storage area is in fact a temporary storage area which is used forindividually heating/cooking the articles, such as, e.g. frozen pizzas,using an oven or microwave. In this case the quality/shelf life of thefrozen pizza is maintained by not moving them to the refrigerated areauntil the refrigerated area has been depleted to the point that it needsreplenishment, at which time they are sequentially moved from the frozenarea to the refrigerated area. This technique substantially reduces thetime needed for heating the pizza while the customer is waiting, whileat the same time allowing for storage of the pizza in a frozen manner,thereby substantially increasing its shelf life and reducing the laborcosts involved in stocking the machine. In this arrangement, or otherarrangements noted in this portion of the description, the refrigeratedand/or frozen storage areas can include thermal separators at their topportions, such as an air curtain or sliding thermal panels. Suchseparation is particularly advantageous not only for the obvious reasonsrelating to thermal efficiency and protection of the mechanical andelectronic portions of the apparatus from extreme and rapid temperaturechanges, but also for assisting/facilitating reliable articleidentification, by positioning the article identification device(s)outside the refrigerated environment.

[0048]Fig. 6 illustrates an arrangement where the single articlehandling mechanism services two horizontally aligned in article storageareas. Backspace, area 602 being an ambient environment and area 604being a refrigerated environment. The article handling mechanism 606 canbe constructed in a manner such as previously described using supportbeam 230 and carriage 218 so that mechanism 606 can "live"in the ambientarea 602, and travel into the refrigerated area 604 through swingingdoor 608 as needed. Areas 602 and 604 can each include their own articleID device 254 or share a common ID device.

[0049] Additionally, separate hoses and hose positioning mechanisms canalso be useful in order to speed up retrieval and delivery of storedarticles to a customer. FIGURE 7 shows such as a rapid articledispenser, of the type having two horizontally displaced storage areas.Although separate hoses and hose positioning mechanisms are used, theymay share a single source of suction (e.g., blower motor 226), airflowsensor and vacuum breaker. A single hose, hose positioning mechanism andhose storage area could be used in a further embodiment where the singlehose services more than one article storage area, such as therefrigerated and non refrigerated storage areas shown by arrangement 700in FIGURE 7, wherein support beam 230 and carriage 218 is positionablebetween the two storage areas having different ambient environments viaa door mechanism 702. In accordance with the principles of theinvention, each robotic article handling mechanism could have its ownarticle ID device, or they could share a single article ID device.

[0050]Fig. 8 illustrates a vending machine having a single articlehandling mechanism with dual customer interface areas (each including aproduct selection apparatus such as a keypad or touch screen, paymentsystem, and product retrieval door), for example, one on the left sideand one on the right side, with a common graphics display therebetween.This machine can service two purchasers at substantially the same timesince customer selections and payment typically take a substantialamount time compared to the actual time needed for the dispenser todeliver the selected product.

[0051] A further one of such arrangements is shown in FIGURE 9, wherecabinet 600 includes therein an upper area 602 which is non-refrigerated(and may even be heated) and a lower area 604 which is refrigerated (andmay even be divided into, e.g., two additional sections, one area 606being frozen and another area 608 being merely cooled). This arrangementis particularly advantageous since hot air tends to rise and cool airtends to sink. Alternatively, one storage area may be oriented forvertical storage of products and the other one, or even multiple ones,arranged for horizontal storage. In this case a separate hose, hosepositioning mechanism and hose storage area may be required for thedifferently oriented storage areas.

[0052] In the above arrangements it is noted that the article handlingmechanism can have other configurations such as the forenoted telescopictubing, scissors, or R,theta arrangement. Additionally, the articles canbe consumer goods, such as office supplies, printer cartridges etc.

[0053] In the embodiment illustrated herein, blower motor 226 provides arelatively high volume of airflow but a relatively modest negative airpressure. As a matter of design choice, blower motor 226 could comprisea vacuum pump, so as to provide a much more substantial degree ofnegative air pressure, but, due to size and cost limitations, acorrespondingly reduced amount of airflow. In this latter case, thediameter of the air hose 220 would be reduced from the diameterillustrated in FIG"s 2 and 3, which may be particularly important insome applications of the present invention . The illustrated embodimentis particularly useful for picking up flexible packages since amomentary or even sustained leak in the coupling to the packaging to thearticle will generally not result in dropping of the package, while atthe same time offering extreme versatility due to the ability to pick upa wide variety of shaped objects of varying weight and size. In theevent that blower motor 226 comprises a vacuum pump, it could be usedalone or in combination with a storage tank coupled to the suction hosevia a valve and air hose, in order to provide a greater volume ofairflow. Alternatively a compressor could be used in combination with aventuri device to create a vacuum.

[0054] Alternative embodiments for the robotic hose positioningmechanism described above are contemplated to be within the scope of thepresent inventions. For example, instead of using a combination ofleft/right slides 234 and support beams 236a and 236b, a roller/guiderail combination could be used. Support beams 236a and 236b may comprisea support plate having two outwardly facing, i.e., opposed, L-shapedrails, along its edges. The function of slides 234 could be accomplishedby fixing a pair of brackets to opposed ends of beam 230, each bracketincluding a pair of spaced apart and inwardly facing rollers whichengage and follow the opposed rails on the support plate. Furthermore,the spaced apart and inwardly facing rollers could each comprise a setof rollers positioned to be angled 90 degrees with respect to eachanother, so as to engage or follow the two orthogonal surfaces of theL-shaped rails. Such arrangement may result in a coupling of carriage218 to beam 230 which needs less adjustment for proper operation. .Furthermore, as previously noted, the event of substantially horizontalalignment of the storage bins, the robotic hose positioning mechanismcan position carriage 218 for movement in a vertical plane which issubstantially flat (i.e., in the X/Z or Y/Z plane) or in fact a verticalcurvilinear plane. Additionally, as previously noted, in some aspects ofthe invention, it may be desirable for the robotic hose positioningmechanism to include a rotary device (R, θ) of the type including an Ibeam of fixed length (or telescopic sections), for establishing the Rmovement of the gripper/pickup head, which pivots for establishing the θmovement. Alternatively, in other environments for the invention therobotic hose positioning mechanism may include an articulated arm orscissor system, or other technique.

[0055]FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of the generaloperation of the various aspects of the invention described herein, asembodied in an article dispenser of the type comprising, for example,vending machine 10. A control system 400 including a microprocessor 402and associated memory circuits 404, is constructed on control board 212.Control system 400 may also include the electronic parts of otherportions of vending machine 10, as appropriate. Memory circuits 404include ROM for storage of operating programs (embedded software, aswell known, for accomplishing the described herein control of vendingmachine 10), as well as RAM cache for temporary storage of operationaldata during system operation as well as other data as may be needed.Control system 400 is responsive to user operation of the user paymentand selection system 406 (including the coin and bill mechanism 28 and30 and the selection buttons 40 of FIG. 1) for operating the userinterface and article handling apparatus of vending machine 10 so as todispense the article desired by a user. More specifically, upon properpayment for a selection made by the user using payment and selectionsystem 406, control system 400 operates the X/Y (left/right andfront/back) drive motors 233 and 243 so as to position pickup head 224to be in alignment with a bin 216 which holds the article selected bythe user. Control system 400 then engages a hose drive motor 508(Z-motor) mounted within and carried by carriage 218, so that hose 220is driven in a direction towards the top article in the aligned bin. Atan appropriate time before head 224 contacts the article to be removed(and in an embodiment of the invention where cabinet 12 does not includerefrigerated air, an appropriate time may be just before head 224 entersbin 216, but if the air is refrigerated, just before contact with thedesired article is expected, in order to minimize removal ofrefrigerated air), control system 400 activates blower motor 226 so asto provide lifting suction at pickup head 224. Upon position sensors 412determining that pickup head 224 has contacted and become secured to thedesired article, control system 400 causes hose drive motor 410 toreverse its direction so as to retract hose 220 from the aligned bin 216and thereby lift out from the bin 216 the selected article. Carriage 218is then driven to a position in alignment with the article deliverychute 210.

[0056] Upon sensors 412 sensing alignment of carriage 218 with chute 210(in this case sensor 412 may comprise a reed switch mounted on a frontwall of the cabinet, and a magnet mounted at a leading edge of carriage218), control system 400 turns off blower motor 226 and the resultingloss of vacuum causes the selected article to drop into the customerretrieval area 22. As previously noted, in the event that the articlesare so fragile that they should not be dropped or subjected to suchimpact forces, hose 220 can be driven to the bottom of chute 210 beforethe article is released.

[0057] It is noted that position sensor 412 may include the airflowsensor of junction box 229, or in a further embodiment, comprise amechanically operated plunger-type position sensor associated withpickup head 224. Even furthermore, position sensors 412 may also includea reed switch mounted on a front wall of the cabinet, and a magnetmounted at a leading edge of carriage 218.

[0058] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention,since the control system keeps track of the movement of hose 220 andcarriage 218(for example, by sensing pulses from a shaft encoder orother distance measuring device on each of their respective drivemotors), the signal generated by the airflow sensor at the time carriage218 reaches the virtual home can also be used as a check to ensure thatcontrol system 400 accurately counted the motor drive pulses, and canre-calibrate the positioning system based on the virtual home, ifnecessary.

[0059] It is noted that position sensor 412 may include the airflowsensor of junction box 229, or in a further embodiment, comprise amechanically operated plunger-type position sensor associated withpickup head 224. Even furthermore, position sensors 412 may also includea reed switch mounted on a front wall of the cabinet, and a magnetmounted at a leading edge of carriage 218.

[0060] Accurate control of energization of blower motor 226 isparticularly advantageous in the event that the inside of the cabinet,or a portion thereof, is refrigerated, since accurate control woulddecrease the amount of refrigerated air being displaced by blower motor226. In the preferred embodiment, the microprocessor 402 will energizeblower motor 226 as the pickup head 224 approaches the desired article,and in fact only when it is in the immediate proximity of the desiredarticle (and not earlier), due to control system 400 maintaining updatedinformation about the height of the stack of articles in each bin 216.The height is assumed to be at a predefined level upon article refillingof the vending machine 10 by the operator. Control system 400 mayconfirm the assumed height by moving the pickup head 224 at a reducedspeed towards an article at the top of a bin 216 on the first retrievalattempt after the storage area has been refilled, and then compare theassumed height to the actual height. Memory 404 can be pre-programmedwith specific article heights in advance, or the heights can be learnedby control system 400 by comparison of prior vend heights in each bin.Once the height of the top article is known, control system 400 will beable to always know the height of the next "top" article in that bin.Subsequently, control system 400 may cause the pickup head 224 toapproach the articles in that storage area at a higher speed, and onlyslow down when in the immediate proximity of the next "top" article inthat bin. The technique to slow down upon the pickup head 224approaching the next article also helps ensure that the stored articleswill not be damaged by the pickup head 224.

[0061] It is noted that in an alternate embodiment, a simpler way ofcontrolling operation of blower motor 226 and the approach of pickuphead 224, without knowing the specific article height, would be to turnon the blower motor 226, or slow down the pickup head 224 just prior tothe learned stack height of the prior vend.

[0062] When a "reset"switch (not shown) is activated by the machineoperator, control system 400 automatically defaults to using the aboveheight detection technique since it can be assumed that the operator mayhave changed the product load levels and consequently the productheights in each bin.

[0063] For the embodiments described herein, it is assumed thatenergization of the blower motor or other suction creating device, ismeant to be equivalent to the appearance of a prompt package securingforce, i.e., suction, at the pickup head 224.

[0064] A communication system 414 is connected to control system 400 soas to provide article inventory and vending machine operationinformation to a remote location, as well as to allow for control of theoperation of the vending machine from a remote location. In this regard,communication system 414 may include a connection to means for making awire-line and/or wireless transceiver interface through which acommunication link with a remote computer can be established.Additionally, the communication system 414 may communicate with aplurality of other similarly connected vending machines in the samegeneral area and communicate therewith using the wire-line interface orwireless communication. Even furthermore, communication system 414 canprovide for communication with multiple vending machines and/or a localserver/controller, in a local site along a LAN (local area network),LAWN (a local area wireless network) or a WAN (wide area network). Theremote computer may comprise a database which receives and/oraccumulates the operational data from one or more vending machines,which data is then accessible (via, e.g., the Internet, using a wired orwireless connection) using appropriate encryption, to others, such asroute drivers, machine operators, machine owners, product suppliers,etc. Furthermore, the remote site may give feedback to the vendingmachines, such as authorization information, which can control itsoperation, such as allow its continued operation.

[0065] Many of the benefits of the invention described herein could alsobe particularly useful in an article dispensing apparatus of the typehaving a refrigerated compartment, such as a chest freezer includingvarious doors thereon (such as described for the ice cream dispenser inUS patent 5, 240,139), in combination with the forenoted methods andapparatus for creating, sensing and/or maintaining suction at thegripping end of the suction hose.

[0066] While this invention has been particularly shown and describedwith references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. In fact, many such changesare already noted in this description. Those skilled in the art willrecognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routineexperimentation, many more equivalents to the specific embodiments ofthe invention described specifically herein.. For example, although asuction providing air hose 220 has been disclosed in the describedpreferred embodiments, in fact a solid element having a gripper at itsfree and, such as a mechanically operated claw (or an electromagneticdevice or even a self-contained suction generator), could also be used.Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of theappended claims.

[0067] A camera that studies product, for spiral or bin machine whichstudies article after it falls into retrieval area. And can alertcontroller to disable dispensing from one or more of the article storageareas.

[0068] A bar code or other image/vision recognition system for verifyingstored article and/or proper operation and dispensing of article.

[0069] ·a robotic mechanism for bringing stored articles to the articleID system. The robotic mechanism can be selectively controlled so as toimprove the reliability of article identification, i.e., movement ofarticle past the ID system can be slowed, and for flexible bag articles,the article may be "jiggled" so as to change the flex of the bag andthereby improve scanning of a bar-code or better optical recognition ofan image

[0070] ·Scanning for article ID can be at any time for verification andoperation purposes, i.e., not just during or as part of a vend cycle,but also between cycles.

[0071] ·Proper operation and dispensing of article may include adherenceto predetermined rules, and interaction with the control system forreporting and enforcement purposes, as well as further control of thevending machine for furthering the enforcement purposes. Articleidentified as unauthorized can be put back in bin, or dispensed and thenfurther article dispensing from that storage area can be disabled

[0072] ·Article ID apparatus can also be manually used by the machineoperator for inventory management.

[0073] ·Use of an optical ID system for spiral/Gravity feed machines toidentify article package type, etc. prior to being dispensed, e.g.,while article is falling (or rolling, in the case of beverage containeretc.) or already landed at the customer retrieval area.

[0074] ·Determination of article ID is made during a dispensingoperation, after dispense is initiated and the cycle is irreversible.

[0075] ·Article ID for inventory management, Pay As You Vend (PAYV)equipment financing, or for calculating incentives based on properoperation and/or adherence to rules

[0076] Addition of circuitry enabling remote connectivity of the vendingmachine for inventory management, as well as for operational control.

Claims
 1. An article dispensing apparatus, comprising: ·a storage areafor storing articles along a plurality of longitudinal axes; ·an articleextracting device including a free end for selectively extracting anarticle from the storage volume; ·a positioning mechanism coupled to thearticle extracting device and responsive to control signals forpositioning the free end of the device in alignment with a selected oneof the longitudinal axes ·a drive mechanism coupled to the articleextracting device for moving the free end thereof in a direction alignedwith the longitudinal axes in the storage area; ·user interface andcontrol apparatus for allowing a user of the dispensing apparatus toinitiate an article dispensing operation, and to cause controlledmovement of the article extracting device and the positioning mechanismso that a selected article is extracted from the article storage areaand moves along a common path to a dispensing area of the dispensingapparatus, and ·an article identification device, mounted within thedispensing apparatus, and operated so as to provide identification of anarticle before, during or after it moves along the common path.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the article identification device usesoptics to provide article identification, and is directed to image orscan the articles when they move in the common path.
 3. The apparatus ofclaims 1 or 2, wherein the article identification device comprises a barcode scanner.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the articleidentification device comprises an imaging system, such as an analogueor digital, still or video, camera, coupled to an image analysis devicethat recognizes predetermined images (color/pattern or texture, etc)thereby providing article identifications during the dispensingoperation.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive means causesthe article extracting device to perform a discontinuous movement in thearea of the article identification device, as the article moves from thearticle storage area to the dispensing area.
 6. The apparatus and abusiness method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the articleidentification is used by the user interface and control apparatus formaking all or part of the apparatus inoperable.
 7. The apparatus and abusiness method in accordance with claim 6, wherein partialinoperability of the apparatus prevents dispensing of articles from atleast one of the longitudinal storage axes.
 8. The apparatus and abusiness method in accordance with claim 1 or 6, wherein inoperabilityof the apparatus is used as an enforcement mechanism to stimulateadherence by an operator or owner of the apparatus to predeterminedrules.
 9. The apparatus and a business method in accordance with claim 1or 7, wherein inoperability of the apparatus is used as an enforcementmechanism to stimulate reporting of sales and inventory data to acentral authority.
 10. The apparatus and a business method in accordancewith claim 1 or 7, wherein inoperability of the apparatus is used as anenforcement mechanism to stimulate adherence to plan-o-grams (properarticle layout by person stocking the apparatus with article, i.e., theroute driver).
 11. The apparatus and a business method in accordancewith claim 10, wherein an incentive or bonus is provided to the routedriver for adherence to the plan-o-grams.
 12. 12 The apparatus and abusiness method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the apparatusincludes an optional interior display so the route driver can monitorthe bonus or incentive program
 13. An article storage and retrievalsystem / apparatus and or dispensing apparatus/system which includes 13.a) At least one article retrieval mechanism; b) At least one articleidentification (id) system including at least one article identificationdevice and/or input device(such as a bar code scanner or camera, orvision or optical identification system ); c) Said article dispensingapparatus having a plurality of article storage areas wherein articlesare stored in an aligned manner; and d) At least one control systemcoupled to said article retrieval mechanism for controlling saiddispensing system and said article Identification system; e) Wherein thenumber of aligned article storage areas is greater than the number ofarticle id input devices.
 14. An article storage and retrieval system /apparatus and or dispensing apparatus/system which includes f) At leastone article retrieval mechanism; g) At least one article identification(id) system including at least one article identification (id) deviceand/or input device(such as a bar code scanner or camera, or vision oroptical identification system ); h) Said article dispensing apparatushaving a plurality of article storage areas wherein articles are storedin an aligned manner; and i) At least one control system coupled to saidarticle retrieval mechanism for controlling said dispensing system andsaid article Identification system; j) herein articles stored in storagearea can be identified automatically by the article id input devices,independent of human intervention.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14,whereby an article stored in the storage areas can be identified by thearticle id system, when the article is in the storage area byPositioning/moving the id system in the storage area.
 16. The apparatusof claim 13 or 14, whereby an article stored in the storage areas can beidentified by the article id system : after the article has been removedfrom the storage area, and a) before being placed back in the storagearea, or b) before being placed into a separate storage area (i.e.,placed aside, and not vended), or c) before coming to rest in articleretrieval area, d) wherein the storage area includes a repositioningmeans for repositioning the id input device or article so as to increasethe ability to identify the article; or
 17. The apparatus of claim 13 or14, whereby an article stored in the storage areas can be identified bythe article id system by: removing the article from the container andmoving the article adjacent to an identification area where the articlecan be identified, a) Prior to article coming to rest in articleretrieval area, or b) Prior to article being placed back in storage areaof origin, or c) Prior to article moving to a new storage area, or d)Within the article retrieval area.
 18. An article retrieving apparatus,comprising: a storage area for storing articles along at least onelongitudinal axis in a stack; an article dispensing device for moving anend article from the stack of articles in the storage area along a pathto a retrieval area; and an article identification device, mountedwithin the article retrieving apparatus, said article dispensing devicemoving the article in a predetermined pattern past the articleidentification device, so as to provide identification of the articlebeing moved.
 19. The apparatus of claim18, wherein the articleidentification device uses imaging optics to provide articleidentification.
 20. The apparatus of claims 18, wherein the articleidentification device comprises a bar code scanner.
 21. Apparatusaccording to claim18, wherein the article identification provided by thearticle identification device is used by the user interface and controlapparatus for: a) shutting down or disabling further dispensing ofarticles in alignment with one or more of the longitudinal axes. 22.Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein disabling of said dispensing isovercome, or re-enabled, in response to input to the control portion ofthe user interface and control apparatus of an encoded authorizingsignal.
 23. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein disabling of saiddispensing is overcome, or re-enabled, in response to the passage oftime.